Assistant Project Manager - Construction Division

Mid-Ohio Air Conditioning, LLC; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 66,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Mid-Ohio Air Conditioning, LLC in Columbus, OH, is seeking an Assistant Project Manager to own the operational execution of assigned projects under a Project Manager. This field-facing role coordinates manpower, equipment, and schedules, drives change orders, and protects job cost while supporting subcontractors and foremen.

This position is a clear path to a Project Manager at MOAC. The APM progresses to full P&L ownership of small projects within 12–36 months, with milestones guiding

Qualifications

• Own the operational execution of assigned projects under a Project Manager.
• Develop and maintain project schedules; coordinate MOAC scope with milestones.
• Coordinate manpower requirements with Operations and field leadership.
• Drive change orders, manage subcontractors, and protect job cost.

Responsibilities

• Visit jobsites to verify installed work against drawings and monitor progress.
• Lead jobsite coordination meetings and represent MOAC professionally.
• Track submittals, RFIs, and change orders; ensure current documents are used.
• Support safety expectations and ensure crews have required plans and orientations.

Skills

Field coordination

Schedule management

Cost control

Subcontractor management

Communication with GC/owners

Tools

ERP software

Job description

At Mid-Ohio Air Conditioning it is our mission to provide customers with professional, value based, relational services tailored to each specific need. We provide preventive maintenance, equipment replacement, tenant build out, service, and design-build services.

POSITION SUMMARY

Mid-Ohio Air Conditioning (MOAC) is a design-build commercial and industrial HVAC contractor serving central Ohio. Our Construction Division self-performs mechanical projects ranging from $25,000 to $5 million for owners, general contractors, and institutional clients.

The Assistant Project Manager (APM) owns the operational execution of assigned projects under the direction of a Project Manager. This is a hands-on, field-facing role: helping to organize the start of job, coordinating manpower and equipment, driving the schedule, pricing and pushing change orders, managing subcontractors, measuring progress, and protecting job cost. The APM plays a key role in how projects actually get built through supporting the peripheral items that make projects successful and allowing project managers to focus on project milestones.

This position is intentionally structured as the development path to Project Manager at MOAC. An APM who performs is expected to take full P&L ownership of small projects within 12 months and to progress to Project Manager within 18 to 36 months. Career progression milestones are defined in this document. APMs also participate in and have impact to the continuous improvement process at MOAC.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Execution & Field Operations

• Manage day-to-day operational execution of assigned projects under the direction of the Project Manager, including small projects assigned for independent ownership as skill develops.
• Develop and maintain project schedules; coordinate MOAC scope with general contractor milestones, other trades, and owner-driven constraints.
• Coordinate manpower requirements with Operations and field leadership - forecast crew size, skill mix, and duration by phase, and communicate changes early.
• Visit jobsites regularly to verify installed work against drawings, monitor productivity, identify field issues, and support foremen with the information and materials they need.
• Lead or attend jobsite coordination meetings, pre-installation meetings, and owner/GC progress meetings; represent MOAC professionally.
• Identify and resolve field conflicts, coordination clashes, and constructability issues before they become schedule or cost impacts.
• Support job-specific safety expectations in partnership with Meriton Safety; confirm crews have required equipment, task-specific plans, and site orientations.
• Drive punch list completion, system startup, testing and balancing coordination, commissioning support, and owner training scheduling.
• Maintain project logs and trackers — submittal log, RFI log, change order log, equipment delivery log — and keep them current without prompting.
• Distribute drawing revisions, addenda, and specification updates to the project team and field crews, and confirm the field is working from current documents.

Buyout, Procurement & Subcontractor Management

• Assist with procurement and project buyout: convert the estimate into committed costs through equipment releases, material purchases, and subcontract agreements.
• Review and negotiate vendor and subcontractor pricing as directed; confirm scope alignment against contract documents before commitment.
• Define scopes of work for subcontracted trades and manage subcontractor performance, schedule adherence, and quality in the field.
• Determine equipment and material requirements, quantities, and delivery sequencing;
• Review submittals and shop drawings for technical conformance with plans, specifications, and design intent prior to transmittal.
• Manage long-lead equipment risk - identify exposure early, evaluate alternates, and elevate schedule impacts.
• Track committed cost, labor hours, and productivity against the estimate.
• Based on project progress and input from project managers, prepare monthly cost-to-complete projections and percent-complete inputs in the ERP software for review with the Project Manager and division leadership.
• Identify cost variances early, determine root cause, and recommend corrective action rather than reporting the variance after the fact.
• Price change orders and time-and-material work; prepare pricing backup, negotiate with the general contractor or owner, and pursue approval to execution.
• Under direction of the project manager, identify out-of-scope work in the field and convert it to approved, billable change orders - no scope performed without authorization.
• Review labor time entries and job cost coding for accuracy; correct miscoded cost before month-end close.
• Report accurate percent complete assessments in work in process (WIP) meetings to promote accurate monthly progress billings.

Contract & Technical Administration

• Read and apply contract documents, plans, specifications, and mechanical drawings; understand MOAC's scope, exclusions, and contractual obligations on each project.
• Prepare and issue RFIs on technical questions and evaluate responses for cost and schedule impact.
• Maintain awareness of notice requirements, delay documentation, and contractual deadlines; elevate contract issues to the Project Manager promptly.
• Support permitting and inspection coordination with